COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 331511

Iron Foundries

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

14companies1872–1991founding years14still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedNeenah Foundry CompanyFoundedNeenah Foundry Company
1872
FoundedKohler CompanyFoundedKohler Company
1873
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedAmerican Cast Iron Pipe CompanyFoundedAmerican Cast Iron Pipe Company
1905
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedMcWane CorporationFoundedMcWane Corporation
1921
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedGrede Foundries, Inc.FoundedGrede Foundries, Inc.
1940
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedIntermet CorporationFoundedIntermet Corporation
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedAtchison Casting CorporationFoundedAtchison Casting Corporation
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Neenah Foundry Company →
Active · founded 1872
1930s:Projects from the Works Progress Administration drive demand for municipal castings and allow the company to grow…
Neenah Foundry Company →
Active · founded 1872
1930s:Projects from the Works Progress Administration drive demand for municipal castings and allow the company to grow…
Kohler Company →
Active · founded 1873
Kohler Company is one of the largest privately operated firms in the United States.
Kohler Company →
Active · founded 1873
Kohler Company is one of the largest privately operated firms in the United States.
American Cast Iron Pipe Company →
Active · founded 1905
American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO), with 242,000 square meters of roofed production space and a daily production…
American Cast Iron Pipe Company →
Active · founded 1905
American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO), with 242,000 square meters of roofed production space and a daily production…
McWane Corporation →
Active · founded 1921
Birmingham-based McWane Corporation is a holding company with an extensive network of interests in the manufacture of…
McWane Corporation →
Active · founded 1921
Birmingham-based McWane Corporation is a holding company with an extensive network of interests in the manufacture of…
Grede Foundries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1940
Grede Foundries, Inc.
Grede Foundries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1940
Grede Foundries, Inc.
Intermet Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Intermet Corporation is one of the largest independent foundry companies in the world, involved in producing ferrous…
Intermet Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Intermet Corporation is one of the largest independent foundry companies in the world, involved in producing ferrous…
Atchison Casting Corporation →
Active · founded 1991
Atchison Casting Corporation produces iron, steel, and nonferrous castings and forgings for customers involved in more…
Atchison Casting Corporation →
Active · founded 1991
Atchison Casting Corporation produces iron, steel, and nonferrous castings and forgings for customers involved in more…
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